High Pressure Die Casting for Complex Parts

Die casting offers the ability of casting complex and near net shapes at an economical price. Tighter tolerances and precise geometry can be cast, reducing finishing and machining operations.

Aluminum Die Casting Process

The upfront tooling investment can be higher than other casting processes, therefore, high pressure die casting is typically used for higher volume casting applications. The benefits of the die casting process are that it can produce castings with thinner wall sections, holding tighter casting tolerances and achieve a better surface finish than other casting methods. 

Le Sueur Incorporated has 12 Die Casting Machines having clamp capacities ranging from 250 to 1600 tons. We offer a large range of aluminum casting alloys including 360, 380, 390 and 413 and specialize in dimensionally complex and pressure-tight applications. LSI has perfected a proprietary technique of using Squeeze Pin Technology to achieve leak-free die castings.

Squeeze Pin Technology

As a die casting cools, shrinkage porosity may form in heavy mass or isolated areas of the casting. This is due to thinner wall sections of the casting and gates "freezing off" preventing the continued pressure and feeding of the heavier mass areas as these areas continue to cool. Shrinkage porosity may result in leak paths or exposed porosity on a machined surface.

The remedy.....Squeeze Pins. When the casting is cooling in the mold and the aluminum is in the semi-solid state, LSI uses Squeeze Pin Technology to deploy specially-designed pins directly into the part. Squeeze Pins displace material in the casting under very high pressure. The displacement of the material significantly increases the pressure in the mold cavity in a localized area. This extreme pressure improves the casting integrity in areas of a casting requiring minimal porosity.

For many product designs, Squeeze Pin Technology is the solution to achieving a repeatable pressure tight and leak-free casting. Le Sueur Incorporated's die casting engineering staff assists customers with product design specifically for utilizing this technology.

Vacuum Assist

Aluminum die castings produced at Le Sueur Incorporated are cast using Vacuum Assist. Vacuum Assist aids in evacuating the air in the mold cavity as the metal is being injected into the mold at very high speeds (milliseconds).

Also, after a part is extracted from the mold during the die casting process and the mold is in the open position, a die coolant/lubricant is sprayed on the mold cavity surfaces. Vacuum Assist helps reduce gas caused by residual die lubricant in the mold cavity prior to the aluminum entering mold. This minimizes gas porosity from forming during the solidification stage. Vacuum Assist is an absolute necessity in the aluminum die cast process when producing pressure tight and leak free die castings.

In-House Design and Finishing Services

In addition to high pressure die casting, LSI offers early design engineering development and prototype services as well as complete in-house secondary solutions including machining, finishing and assembly. Our quality management system is registered to ISO 9001:2015 and we utilize various forms of technology including:

• Visi-Trak Process Monitoring
• MAGMA Casting Simulation
• X-Ray: Digital Radiography (Real-Time), Computed Radiography (CR) and Conventional Film
• CAD Systems: Pro/ENGINEER & SOLIDWORKS
• Complete Metallurgical and NDT laboratories

Le Sueur Incorporated has (12) Die Casting Machines ranging from 250 ton to 1600 ton clamp capacity:

1 - 1600 Ton 140L Buhler Carat Die Cast Machine
1 - 1600 Ton Prince Die Cast Machine
2 - 950 Ton Buhler Die Cast Machines
2 - 750 Ton Buhler Die Cast Machines 
1 - 600 Ton Prince Die Cast Machine 
3 - 550 Ton Buhler Die Cast Machines
1 - 450 Ton Prince Die Cast Machine
1 - 250 Ton Prince Die Cast Machine

Aluminum Die Casting Applications

Some of the common die casting applications include:

Die Casting Design Resource

NADCA DESIGN  

Contact us for High Pressure Die Casting Solutions

Le Sueur Incorporated specializes in producing dimensionally complex, pressure tight aluminum castings and thermoplastic injection molded components. We offer complete in-house precision machining, finishing and assembly. Please contact us to learn more about our capabilities and discuss your die casting project!